Mr. Whitby was arrested this morning and he is scheduled to make his initial appearance in the United States District Court in Macon this afternoon.

Mr. Knowles was arrested this morning and he is scheduled to make his initial appearance in federal court in Florida this afternoon.

The statutory maximum sentence in federal prison authorized for the bribe conspiracy is five years, for the substantive bribery counts is ten years, and for the money laundering conspiracy is twenty years. The money laundering conspiracy carries a maximum fine of $500,000.00 or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction, whichever is greater. The other charges carry a maximum possible fine of $250,000.00 each.

A copy of the indictment is attached. The indictment is only an allegation of criminal conduct. Each person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Beth Howard and Danial Bennett are prosecuting the case for the Government with participation and cooperation of Special Assistant U.S. Attorney David McLaughlin from the Georgia Office of the Attorney General.